MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. The final round of the Intervision international music contest will take place today at 8:00 p.m. Moscow time (5:00 p.m. GMT) at the Live Arena in Moscow. Russia will be represented by Yaroslav Dronov, an Honored Artist of Russia who performs under the pseudonym Shaman.
The contest will feature representatives from 23 countries, including Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, China, Colombia, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, the United States, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, South Africa, and others.
The contest will be broadcast on Channel One and VKontakte. According to Russian presidential administration first deputy head Sergey Kirienko, the contest could set a television viewership record, with an estimated 4.3 billion people watching the broadcast.
The Russian hosts are singer Alexey Vorobyov and opera singer Aida Garifullina. The international hosts are Indian actress and model Stefy Patel and Chinese-English TV presenter Meng Lei.
Intervision will be covered by 190 journalists from 25 countries worldwide. Media outlets from countries whose representatives are not participating are also permitted to cover the event.
Order of performances
According to the results of the draw, Cuba’s Zulema Iglesias Salazar will be the first performer on stage. The last performer will be Indian artist Rauhan Malik. Second to perform will be the Nomad Trio from Kyrgyzstan, followed by Chinese singer Wang Xi. Egypt’s Mustafa Saad will be the fourth to take the stage.
The fifth performer will be the US representative. However, a few days before the contest, the US replaced their participant. Instead of Brandon Howard, Australian-American singer Vassy will perform. The Intervision press service told TASS that Howard could not participate due to family issues.
Kenya will perform next, represented by Sanaipei Tande. Then, Amre from Kazakhstan will perform, followed by Saif Al Ali from the United Arab Emirates. Al Ali did not reveal the song he plans to perform in advance.
Russia's Yaroslav Dronov, known as Shaman, will be the ninth to perform. He will perform "Straight to the Heart," a song written especially for the contest by music producer and composer Maxim Fadeyev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Shaman's order of appearance is symbolic; he compared Dronov's ninth number on Intervision to the position of a center forward.
Next to perform will be the Brazilian duo Luciano Calazans & Thais Nader, followed by Tajikistan’s Farruja Khasanova, Qatar’s Dana Al Meer, Denise and D-Lain from Madagascar, Saudi Arabia’s Zena Emad, Columbian singer Nidia Gongora, Ethiopian performer Netsanet Sultan, Venezuela’s Omar Acedo, Serbian singer Slobodan Trkulja, South African group Mzansi Jikelele, and Vientamese performer Duc Phuc. The last three performers are Anastasia Kravchenko from Belarus, Uzbekistan’s Shohrukh Mirzo Ganiev, and Indian performer Rauhan Malik.
About contest
Intervision was a song contest organized by the International Radio and Television Organization, which existed from 1946 to 1993. It was held in the 1960s and 1980s, similar to Eurovision, a music award organized by the European Broadcasting Union, which split from the International Radio and Television Organization. The contest was attended not only by socialist countries close to the USSR, but also by Austria, Belgium, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
On February 3, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on holding the Intervision international music contest. The revived contest will take place on September 20, 2025, in Moscow, with a live broadcast on Channel One. Russia will be represented by Yaroslav Dronov, an Honored Artist of Russia who performs under the pseudonym Shaman. More than 20 countries have confirmed their participation in Intervision.
TASS is the contest's information partner.